What are they doing? I bike ride with my Shuffle, for 4 hours in the insanely humid Florida summer and even though the device is right on my arm, it's still perfectly fine.

Jon.

I don't know, probably dropping them repeatedly (though that hasn't affected mine). I know people that buy the AppleCare extended warranty for the iPod (which is a waste) and get 3 or 4 replacements per year because of the warranty protection.

Before I used to be into gaming on my pc but not anymore. I do plan on getting back into the highly addictive COunter-Strike again. Other than that, I will use the computer to listen to music, watch movies and web browse. Also make good use of productivity software (spreadsheets, word processors, presentation software). Plus some light photo and video editing.

SPec-wise I want something that will be quick and pretty up to date for the next 3-4 years. Plus pretty portable (for travel and using on my couch onbatter and probably wifi)

I looked at the Lenovo stuff and I think Im leaning toward them. I have always heard they were bulletproof and had a great keyboard. I know I will get at least 1gb of ram and 60Gb for my hard drive.

I bought a Toshiba back in 2000 I think it was. Piece of crap in the end. Crap customer support, I constantly had problems with it, and I eventually gave up. It sits in my office now.

I borrowed an IBM Thinkpad...hmmm, I can't tell what model it is, but it has XP Pro, 1300MHz processor, 512 RAM, and a 34gig harddrive. I would buy one of these for myself (but upgrade to 1G RAM and maybe a slightly larger hd). I run the MS Office suite, a stats package called STATA, and web browsing stuff all at once and it's fine.

I recommend Apple. I have used both and I like Apple much better. It is easier to use (IMO) and requires much less tinkering.

If you like to work on computers, get a microsoft. If you want it to just work and won't be doing much to it over the next 5 years (as far as major changes to the computer), I think Apple is the way to go.

As far as customer service, I love Apple's cust service on the website. Their website is the most helpful place to get service. As with any company, if you have to call for service, it sucks.

Any problems (albeit small) have been solved in a minimal amount of time from the website.

I would recommend trying both computers first as mabye one just "feels" better to you.

OK I think IM gonna bite on the apple. Another problem: The choice between the MAcbook (Black) and the Macbook Pro. As far as I can tell the only difference b/w the two are the aethetics and the larger screen of the Pro. Anything else that would justify $700 premium ($1800 vs $2500 both including the care plan) of the Pro?

we just got an iMac with the 20" screen and it's pretty damn cool. I use my PC, my fiancee uses the iMac, and looking at her shiny goodness sitting 3 feet from my behemoth Compaq makes me want to chuck the f'ing thing thru the window

OK I think IM gonna bite on the apple. Another problem: The choice between the MAcbook (Black) and the Macbook Pro. As far as I can tell the only difference b/w the two are the aethetics and the larger screen of the Pro. Anything else that would justify $700 premium ($1800 vs $2500 both including the care plan) of the Pro?

Personally I prefer it b/c it looks more mature than the macbook.

We are right on the cusp of an update to the Macbook Pro (so says the rumormill). The upgrade will be to the new Core2Duo chips, which are quite a significant leap forward from the current tech in either the Macbook or the Macbook Pro. If the Pro gets an update, and the non-Pro doesn't then its a no-brainer which to buy (the Pro). If the non-Pro gets an update and the Pro doesn't.. and if screen size is no issue, then the non-Pro all the way. If its apples to apples (both get an update or neither get an update), I'd go with the Pro.. unless you really like small screens.

Also, I am usually a firm believer in buying tech when you need it instead of trying to wait out obsolescence; however, this is one of those times that the upgrade is truely worth the wait.

OK I think IM gonna bite on the apple. Another problem: The choice between the MAcbook (Black) and the Macbook Pro. As far as I can tell the only difference b/w the two are the aethetics and the larger screen of the Pro. Anything else that would justify $700 premium ($1800 vs $2500 both including the care plan) of the Pro?

Personally I prefer it b/c it looks more mature than the macbook.

I was just in the same situation as you. The Pro has a separate video card with more RAM. The Macbook has an integrated video card that uses up to 64MB of the CPU's RAM. This really makes no difference unless you game or do a lot of video editing. The 13-in screen doesn't seem that small since it's widescreen. Since I didn't need the better video card, I went with the black Macbook and bought a 20-in cinema display to go with it. I have all the functionality of a desktop as well as an extremely portable laptop. Whatever you get, buy the lowest RAM option from Apple and max out with 2GB from an online dealer. The RAM makes a huge difference, and Apple charges a ridiculous price for it.

Before I used to be into gaming on my pc but not anymore. I do plan on getting back into the highly addictive COunter-Strike again. Other than that, I will use the computer to listen to music, watch movies and web browse. Also make good use of productivity software (spreadsheets, word processors, presentation software). Plus some light photo and video editing.

SPec-wise I want something that will be quick and pretty up to date for the next 3-4 years. Plus pretty portable (for travel and using on my couch onbatter and probably wifi)

I looked at the Lenovo stuff and I think Im leaning toward them. I have always heard they were bulletproof and had a great keyboard. I know I will get at least 1gb of ram and 60Gb for my hard drive.

Thanks for the replies guys!

ANd by the way IBM still owns a minority stake in their old operation

Just make sure you get a Core Duo based computer. It's a big step-up from the p4 or Centrino platform. Buying anything else at this poitn would be dumb. Not all vendors are shipping them yet so that might limit your choices. For instance I'm shopping for servers right now and Dell is the only company that's transitioned the bulk of it's servers to the new architecture whereas HP and IBM still have a lot of the old Xeons in the mix. I suspect it's probably the same with the desktop and mobile CPUs since there's limited availability atm.

Just make sure you get a Core Duo based computer. It's a big step-up from the p4 or Centrino platform. Buying anything else at this poitn would be dumb. Not all vendors are shipping them yet so that might limit your choices. For instance I'm shopping for servers right now and Dell is the only company that's transitioned the bulk of it's servers to the new architecture whereas HP and IBM still have a lot of the old Xeons in the mix. I suspect it's probably the same with the desktop and mobile CPUs since there's limited availability atm.

Why would a core duo be necessary, or worth the cost, to the 'average' computer user? I use my home laptop to download music, the occasional video, surf the web, and do work via citrix. My existing celeron, 20 gig, 256 meg has been working prefectly fine for that. I am upgrading because after three years the battery life is down to about 15 minutes, and I cannot buy new ones because gateway stopped making the 'puter. I can think of no reason to pay an extra $600 or whatever to buy a core duo.

Can anyone else? (Bear in mind that I have NEVER owned a video game system, and the last time I played a computer game solitare was all the rage.)